Only Aria Montgomery can make a yoga outfit seem quirky. And you know how she did it? Polka dots. That’s all you need. I happen to love me some polka dots. Her jacket was by Adidas, which I would not have guessed.

We have to backtrack to one of her earlier outfits, though. It looked like a dress with a faux vest front on it, paired with tall boots. And I loved it. But it was actually a skirt by Ted Baker, paired with a vest by Ted Baker and a top from ASOS. The patterns were … I mean, they clashed, but Aria’s artistic attitude makes it work. And her yellow Rebekka Minkoff bag was amazing with that black and yellow top. It’s like she’s a fashion soldier, you know? With the strong sleeves and the laced up boots and the vest detail? She marches for style!

That bejeweled bibb necklace is basically part of her armor, and it distracts her enemies.

A great fashion lesson can be gained here. Pair a skirt (any kind, but try something that’s pleated with volume!) with a top, and then a vest. It’ll look like a full dress, but you can get away with mixing patterns and having it look cohesive.

Hanna Marin – Ashley Benson

Don’t think for a second that Hanna didn’t mourn her tight pink jeans. (Were they denim? Maybe. I am not sure… okay, I checked, they were.) Wren had to cut them open when he gave her stitches, and the stab wound had already effectively destroyed them by then. This is where I have to say that I appreciate what Hanna is wearing, even though I am sooooo rooting for her to go more girly/glam than sexy/modern. Sometimes she reminds me of the blunt and confident character of Samantha on Sex and the City, and she especially with the outfits these days.

I really did love that blue tank top, which was by Karen Millen.

Later, a white studded tank top was a reminder of how chilly things could get in the PLL world.

Spencer Hastings – Troian Bellisario

She wore an amazing Petticoat Alley black peplem top with a yellow elephant print on it. This is my favorite thing from the entire episode. Although it takes a lot of guts to wear an elephant top and stand up to creepy “I like that you think I am capable of murder” Noel Kahan. He may not be a murderer, but he’s still a jackass.

Emily Fields – Shay Mitchell

Why so many vests?! I guess it’s a good thing I’m coming ’round on the vests, since we’re seeing so many of them on Emily for PLL season 3. They’re a cool, natural evolution of Emily’s style. And I like that. Because Emily is so tough. Not emotionally (God, no) but in terms of how to make her dressed cute and true to who she is. I mean, she basically needs tips from Sporty Spice. Because dressing sporty is often the most boring way to be. So Emily is kind of transitioning now from less of a good girl/mainstream look to more of a hippie thing. Not full on hippie, just a dash-o-flavor.

And here’s where things get … difficult. There was a scene with Emily (in her vest) and Paige (Lindsey Shaw.) Paige was wearing a shirt with the sleeves cut off and it looked kind of butch… and then she had some quote about wishing she had taken wood shop. As a straight woman, I can’t help but feel like PLL may have been going out of their way to re-enforce stereotypes about lesbians. They looked, as a pair, very stereotypical “lesbian.” While style can and should tell a story, I don’t think the context clues needs to be so obvious. I felt like the clothing was screaming “did you forget that they are lesbians? Cause they are!” (Although maybe Emily is bisexual.)

As always, we shout out to Mandi Line, costume designer extraordinaire!